T-gel ineffective for anyone else?

12-29-2007, 10:54 AM

bigskinny

T-gel ineffective for anyone else?

I've been on 50mg/day compounded test gel for 3 mos now, and not feeling it. I am 33yo male. My level went from 425 to 475... not much. Why would this not be working? Should I ask for a more potent gel, pellet implant, or go for shots? This is frustrating, I want to feel like a young(er) man again.

some people need 100mg/day, or because (often) of skin or thyroid issues need to switch to a better brand gel or injectables. I know that the gel is 'more natural' than the shots, and dr. john prefers them. But its most likely that your thyroid is underactive and thus your not absorbing. Also, you are probably 'shut down' and should talk to your doc about adding in hcg 250iu EOD or 100iu ED to your regimen. have any shrinkage going on?

12-29-2007, 11:34 AM

bigskinny

Originally Posted by Scottyo

But its most likely that your thyroid is underactive and thus your not absorbing.

Yes thyroid is a little slow... TSH was 2.1. I should probably get on some armour thyroid or something.

Originally Posted by Scottyo

Also, you are probably 'shut down' and should talk to your doc about adding in hcg 250iu EOD or 100iu ED to your regimen. have any shrinkage going on?

Yes some shrinkage. The HCG is injection-only, correct? What is EOD / ED?

When you add exogenous T to your system, it is detected in the hypothalmus which in turn tells the pituitary to secrete less LH which in turn results in less endogenous T production.

In short, a few weeks after you start taking exogenous T, you will not be producing any endogenous T. You can't detect this by measuring T because your testing will show you any T that is in your body (including the exogenous kind).

You can however infer that if your LH is zero (or close to it) that you would not be producing any endogenous T because your testicles are no longer getting that LH signal to produce it.

..and to the parent post: If you have zero LH but decent T, we know that the T must be coming from the gel not from your testicles.

Mark

12-30-2007, 07:05 PM

bigskinny

Originally Posted by MarkLA

LH is the signal which tells the testicles to produce T.

Makes sense, thanks.

Does FSH have anything to do with T production, or is that only for sperm?

FSH as you indicated triggers sperm production. It also increases leydig cell sensitivity (the cells in the testicles which produce T). So for a given amount of LH, if you had more FSH, I'd expect to see more T.

I haven't seen anything on how much difference this sensitivity makes to T levels -- i.e. I'm not sure if you'll be seeing 50% more T or .05% more. I'd be curious if anyone else has any insight.